When Snape met Rachael
by Fjellnord
Summary: This is really a very long personalised head canon, about Snape and Rachael.
1. Prologue

**This one is for Rachael, because she's been awesomely patient. It's based off of a head canon I promised her, and never got around to doing, so this is going to be sort of OOC fluff and sweetness. And I can't write Snape properly for anything in the world, so he's going to be severely butchered XD**

**As I don't know you personally Rachael, I've taken some creative liberties here, in the creation of the characters personality, but she's based on you in looks and name, and also the scenario you wanted, so I hope you like this. **

The wind was blowing harshly around the greenhouses at Hogwarts, rain slapping against the glass. Autumn was approaching fast, so Professor Rachael Collins was hard at work tending the plants that would be needed in potions for students with the sniffles. She hummed merrily to herself as she snipped off dry leaves and re-potted mandrakes for the pepperup potions. There was a sudden, harsh tap on the door, and she jumped violently, spilling dragon dung everywhere. Muttering to herself, she got up, wiped her hands on her apron, and walked over to the door. Through the glass she saw Severus Snape. Oh no, she'd completely forgotten about the dittany he would be collection this evening. She smiled at him as she opened the door.

"Professor Collins." he said, bowing his head a fraction.

"Good evening. I'm afraid I quite forgot about you coming, so I haven't picked the dittany yet. But if you come through here, I'll do it now. I've been so busy, colds are spreading like wildfire through the school, as I'm sure you know, so I've spent most of my time tending the mandrakes." she babbled as she hurried into greenhouse 3, Snape walking behind her, his robes billowing behind him. He didn't answer, so Rachael just got to work with the plant. She put the clippings into a bag, and handed it to Snape.

"That should last you for a while." she said, smiling at the stony face before her. His mouth did a twitch, which might have been an attempt at a smile, and thanked her before turning on his heel and hurrying out, nearly running. Rachael looked around in bewilderment, and her eyes fell on the mistletoe plant that was stretching across the ceiling. She snorted to herself and went back to her mandrakes.

The first time Rachael met Severus, she'd been about as fond of him as everyone else. He was sarcastic, cold and rude. He'd nothing short of demanded for her to harvest 6 dittany plants and have them ready by 8 o'clock that evening. She wasn't very impressed with his manners, but she'd agreed, seeing as she was the new professor and all. She really disliked him. Little did she know about what was to come.


	2. Chapter 1

**Things will really start picking up in the next chapter, I promise. I'd actually written a really juicy chapter, but I can't find where I saved it, so I just wrote this really quickly, to have something to post. Will do a major search for the chapter I intended to post today, and see if I can't post it tomorrow. I really liked how it turned out, so I really want it in there, if I can find it. So consider this the "on hold" music of this fanfic =p**

Two years had passed since Rachael had started her job as a herbology professor. Most things were as she suspected; busy days, loud kids and several near misses with the venomous tentacula. What she had not expected, however, was to find herself at constant war with her own mind. You see, there was this other professor that was really starting to get to her. And that was Professor Snape. For some reason, she found herself thinking about him a lot. Which was silly, because she was a grown woman, and grown women shouldn't act like that. So she spent her time being split between desire and denial, which was unfortunate, as the man was about as available as Merlin himself.

"Rachael, are you still with us?" Minerva McGonagall was looking at her over the rim of her glasses. Rachael sat up, and hoped she wasn't blushing. She'd gotten lost in her own thoughts, staring absent-mindedly at the wall of the staffroom.

"Yes, sorry Minerva. Had a bit of a rough night, the tentaculas are teething, so they keep knocking things over, trying to find something to chew." Rachael babbled, and Minerva raised an eyebrow.

"Very well, as I were saying, we have two post for this weeks staff meeting, the first is the issue of Peeves and his new habit of... Well..." she didn't seem to want to finish that sentence, and Rachael didn't blame her. Peeves had taken to haunting the boys toilet on the 5th floor, and it had been very messy indeed.

"He'll tire eventually. He always does." Severus said, waving his hand dismissively.

"You know, we could try talking to the Bloody Baron, ask him to keep an eye on him?" Rachael suggested, but Severus just scowled. He usually did.

"He refuses. He says he has more important things to attend to." Severus said, not even looking at her. Rachael wanted to throw something at him. They all agreed that Flitwick would try and cast a few charms on the bathroom to try and keep the poltergeist out, and they moved on to the matter of decorating the great hall for Christmas. The meeting adjourned and she was on her way out of the staffroom when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around, and nearly bumped her head into Severus' chest. Severus looked as pleased about that as he did about everything else.

"I need to replenish my ingredients stock. Would it be alright if I helped myself to some of your plants?" he said, taking a step back. This time Rachael did blush.

"Ye-yes, of course. Why don't you come back with me after dinner. To the greenhouses. I mean..." she felt so stupid, she was stuttering and making a complete fool of herself. Snape nodded and walked past her, leaving her alone with her embarrassment.

During dinner that night she thought she would have to do something about the situation. It would not do to turn into a stuttering idiot everytime Severus was close to her. She thought the giggling gangs of teenagers were affecting her. She poked moodily at her pork chop, wondering if there was such a thing as a "teenage potion" and if someone had slipped some in her drink.


	3. Chapter 2

After dinner, Rachael and Snape walked silently towards the greenhouses, Snape occasionally telling students off for running or being loud.

"Do you need my help with anything?" Rachael asked as she was unlocking the door to greenhouse 1.

"No, I think I'll be alright." Snape said and walked off. Rachael rolled her eyes, and started her round, checking that all the plants had what they needed. Snape worked silently, and she had almost forgotten about him being there, when a loud crash was heard from greenhouse 2. Rachael rushed in there, to find Snape crouched over a broken pot and white lilies that were scattered across the floor.

"My apologies, Professor Collins." He said, sounding breathless.

"How many times do I have to tell you? It's Rachael. And don't worry about it. Did you get everything you needed?" She said, crouching down as well, to pick up the pottery shards.

"Yes, thank you. Reparo." He muttered, and the shards flew out of Rachael's hands, and re-assembled themselves at Snape's feet.

"Are you alright?" Rachael asked carefully.

"Yes, of course." He snapped and stood up so fast he kicked the newly repaired flowerpot across the floor.

"Do you have to be such an arse all the time?" Rachael said, suddenly feeling irritated. Snape's eyes narrowed as he studied her face. Rachael looked back at him, into his black eyes, and saw something there she was not expecting. Sadness, perhaps? Grief? She suddenly noticed the magical mistletoe snaking it's way across the beams in the ceiling, blossoming right above their heads. Snape must have seen her looking, because he looked up too, and his mouth curled in disgust.

"Mistletoe." He hissed. Rachael decided it was now or never, deciding to blame it on the mistletoe. She grabbed the front of his robes and kissed him. He didn't pull away, but he didn't respond either. He just stood rooted to the spot, un moving. Then he seemed to wake up, and he pulled away, grabbing his bags of ingredients, and rushed off.

Whenever Rachael saw him the following week, he'd refuse to look at her, hurrying off in the opposite direction. She felt horrible, and silly at the same time. What had she expected? That he would confess his undying love for her, swoop her off her feet and ride into the sunset on a white hippogriff? She scoffed to herself at the thought as she was carefully arranging poinsettias on one of the large Christmas trees in the great hall.

"Anything wrong, dear?" Professor Flitwick said kindly, from the top step of his enormous ladder.

"No, just sneezed." She said, smiling up at him. He nodded and started humming a Christmas tune to himself. After what must have been hours, they were finally finished with the trees. They both took a step back to admire their work. Fairy lights glinted, making the glitter on the large white and red poinsettias sparkle brightly. Baubles in all the house colours, with the Hogwarts crest and several famous witches and wizards spun lazily, catching the light every now and then too.

"Do you need help with the mistletoe?" Flitwick asked. Rachael looked down at him, and the poor old man looked exhausted.

"No, it's alright. You should get some rest." She replied kindly, smiling. He nodded, looking grateful, and tottered off. Rachael got out her box of mistletoe, and made them levitate, hanging over the tables, in the aisles, above the staff table. She heard footsteps out in the hall, and turned to see who it was. Snape rushed in, looking determined. Before she could even open her mouth to speak, he stood right in front of. Her heart hammered wildly, sure he was going to yell at her. Instead he grabbed her head and kissed her clumsily. Her heart did a summer salt, and she wrapped her hands around his neck.'Cue white hippogriff' she thought to herself.


	4. Chapter 3

**There'll be an epilogue after this chapter, and then this story will be complete :)**

Rachael and Severus' relationship was complicated. If you could even call it a relationship. Some times he would act like he couldn't get enough of her, and then go for days without even looking at her. Rachael wasn't entirely sure what was going on, really, but she knew she couldn't take this anymore.

She cornered him on a friday, after his last lesson of the day. He'd been avoiding her again for a couple of days, so he didn't look too pleased to see her. Rachael didn't care though, she'd had the entire walk from the greenhouse to the dungeons to get her annoyance fired up.

"Ok, what's going on with you? Are you seeing someone else as well or are your manners just that poor?" She asked angrily. He just stared at her, his brow furrowed, as though he was contemplating how much to tell her. Without saying a single word, he grabbed her hand, and images flickered quickly through Rachael's mind. No, they were memories, but they weren't hers.

A young boy with black hair was sitting next to a girl with long, red hair, the same children on the Hogwarts express, in the great hall, in the grounds. The girl with the red hair shouting at Severus, the girl with the red hair, now a woman, lying still and unresponsive in Severeus' arms, dead. He let got of Rachael's hand, looking utterly devastated. Rachael stared at him. She'd recognised the woman as Lily Potter.

"Severus?" She whispered.

"There is no one else. But I haven't loved another woman since Lily... Since she..." He turned away, and clutched his desk. Comprehension dawned on Rachael. She put her hand carefully on his shoulder.

She thought back to the night she'd first kissed him. The white lilies strewn across the floor, broken.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know." She muttered weakly. Severus turned around and looked at her, black eyes meeting brown. Rachael reached out and caressed his cheek lightly, thinking how lonely his life must have been, how hard this must be for him.

"Where do we go from here?" Rachael whispered, as though she might scare him off if she spoke too loudly. He kissed her lightly.

"That depends on how patient you are." He said. Rachael smiled at him.

"I watch plants grow for a living. What do you think?" She said. He made a face that was half smile, half sneer, but Rachael knew he meant well. She leaned against his chest. If he would always make her feel like this, she could wait forever for him.


End file.
